Home schooling under review amid massive fail rate

Less than three per cent of pupils who are home schooled passed exams this year, prompting worry.

ABU DHABI // Home schooling will undergo a major shake-up to improve results after less than three per cent of pupils passed exams this year. The Government has delayed registration to its home-schooling programme for the new school year as it develops measures to reform the failing system. Among the changes being considered are making pupils attend certain classes to ensure they progress well through the curriculum.

The reforms, due to be announced by the Ministry of Education in about two months, will also cover pupils studying at adult education centres, which likewise reported examination success rates well below government schools. Dr Foazia Badri, the executive director of educational affairs at the ministry, said: "The new bylaws are currently under revise, amendment and modification." The ministry would also open a hotline with educational zones to ensure maintenance problems were dealt with promptly and textbooks were distributed.

In June, the Ministry of Education promised to review its home-schooling programme following low Grade 12 pass rates. In the science stream, just 1.79 per cent of home-schooled pupils achieved the pass rate of 60 per cent, while in the arts stream, the figure was 2.95 per cent. At adult education centres, the pass rate in the science stream was 14.63 per cent, while in the arts stream, only 13.02 per cent of candidates passed.

At government schools, success rates were much higher - at 83.9 per cent in science and 69.4 per cent in the arts. At private schools, the results were even better. Students schooled at home include young people who were removed from school by their parents and adult women completing their education after leaving school to marry. Most pupils at adult education centres are people who work and, for various reasons, did not complete their secondary education when they were younger. They attend classes in the afternoon and evening.

The reforms follow a change to the way pupils are assessed in their final school years. The emphasis in examinations is now on applied skills, rather than rote memorisation and the recall of information. Also, examinations are taken over two terms and half of the marks come from continuous assessment. Although registration has been postponed and is unlikely to begin before the new school year starts on Aug 31, home-schooled pupils and adult students can buy textbooks and begin their studies.

The ministry said yesterday students could register once the bylaws were completed. In July, the ministry announced bylaws for private schools that could lead to closure if the schools fail to meet minimum standards and secure external accreditation. Schools will have three years to meet minimum standards, details of which are due to be published within the year. Separately, assurances have been made this week that five government schools will have water and electricity when the new school year starts.

Fozia Hassan, the director of the Sharjah Education Zone, said: "We are currently discussing with the concerned authorities the issue of providing five schools with water and electricity. The local authorities in Sharjah are always very co-operative and promised to fix these connections before the beginning of the academic year." @Email:[e-mail]